5 mindset tips for a successful training camp
7 minute read
By Dr. Chantale Lussier, PhD
Training camps in sports, the performing arts, and many other contexts are by nature designed to be intense, extremely demanding, experiences. Historically, athletic training camps first emerged out of military life. “On the eve of the First World War, a wealthy director of a company, Antoine-Lucien Boyer, created at Manitot, a small village close to Paris on the riverside of the Seine opposite to Giverny, the first camp of coaching for athletes. Famous boxers like Billy Papke, Georges Carpentier, Eugène Criqui, and Bernard or runners like Jean Bouin have spent a while to prepare their competitions. Taking the opportunity of being at the countryside, these athletes did angling, rowing, and hunting in parallel to their specific sport preparation” (Loudcher and Fabian, 2020). A few years later, between 1917 and 1919 the armed services made sports and athletics central components of military life. Millions of enlisted men participated in organized sports at domestic training camps and behind the front lines in France (Pope (1995). Hence, athletic training camps first began.
Some contexts outside of military life have pushed the notion of training camps to unhealthy measures resulting in both physical and psychological harm and injuries. But even in the most sound and scientifically informed training camp, the reality is that humans are gathering for the explicit purpose to push themselves and each other beyond previously perceived limits, to devote themselves to mastery of their craft and themselves, in preparation for future competitions. There is no denying it, the grind is real. The effort is maximal. The demands, intense. And the standards for performance excellence, are set high.
But is grinning and bearing it the best mental approach? Is beating ourselves up going to get us where we want to ultimately go? I’d suggest that training camps are rich in opportunity to grow, develop, and gain new levels of personal and collective mastery in our respective domains of excellence. “Research has indicated that adversity created in training environments can develop mental toughness… highly-structured adverse training environment has the ability to develop a range of skills and dispositions related to mental toughness, and that some of these factors may transfer to other life contexts” (Disks, Gould, Pierce, and Cowburn, 2017).
Mental skills in training camps
One study aimed to compare the psychological skills between pencak silat and boxing Indonesian athletes at a National Training Camp… results show there were differences in psychological skills such as self-confidence; control of anxiety; mental preparation; team emphasis; and concentration. But there is no difference of psychological skills in the motivational aspects (Dongoran, Nopiyanto, Saputro, and Nugroho, 2019). In other words, all athletes were highly motivated to succeed but they varied in important mental skills that would empower them to do so.
The same is true of you and your teammates at training camp. You are all motivated to succeed but each bring strength and growing edges in all facets of your abilities, including your mental game. Those who proactively work on their mental skills have a better probability to succeed, enjoy, and optimize their training camp experience. So how can we approach training camps with an effective, optimal mindset?
Here are five practical tips to guide you to have a successful training camp.
Be the player, not the critic
As an athlete, imagine what your job description, roles, and responsibilities would look like if they were written in a traditional job posting. It wouldn’t be written that your job is to critic yourself incessantly. No, it would be written certain tasks (learn the playbook, study film, train in gym, adhere to health care, attend practices, attend meetings, be ready to play your role, etc). It may also include certain roles (teammate, position, team member, leader, positional leader, community ambassador, brand ambassador, mentor, etc). Finally, certain qualities that are valued for your role might be written (hard working, team player, great communicator, quick learner, responsible leader, etc). You beating yourself up does not serve you or your team. Enjoy fully stepping into your role as player, not critic. You are an athlete, a competitor! Be the player!
Be the player, not the viewer
So many athletes get distracted by who is watching, who saw what, and what are they thinking. Likewise, athletes sometimes get distracted and demoralized by what other athletes are doing, mentally busy watching more than doing. Let others watch, let others be grateful witnesses. While we can appreciate the many great storytellers of the game and your team’s journey (sportscaster, journalists, photographers, fan), be the protagonist, the main character in your own story. Enjoy being in your own shoes, living life from a first person perspective. You are the doer, the one who gets to live these moments first hand! You are an action hero! Be the player!
Be the player, not the scout
I get it. Sports involve a lot of data, numbers, stats, rankings, scores, grades, reports, film clips, etc. And I get that these are some of the ways we define success in sport, attribute value, and base opportunities on. But there is so much more than that that goes into being successful. Are you a scout for your team or a player? Are you in charge of data analytics, keeping stats and writing reports, or are you here to play? While we can appreciate those roles, let others do their job and contribute interesting information. But remember that data is only meaningful when you know what it tells you. It is incredibly easy to engage in false attributions of Wins or Losses, and successes and “failures”, in sports and to not interpret data well or fully. Let others tell the story of a game by numbers. You get to tell the story with plays! You are a play marker! Be the player!
Be the player, not the coach
Coaches and sports leaders carry a lot of influence. Their perspectives, opinions, and decisions impact your lives as athletes. But you do not have a remote control for your coaches. You cannot control them or their choices. And at this point in your life, would you even want to bear the significant weight of responsibility that comes with all those decisions? If you’re still playing, then the answer is most likely no, or at least not yet. So let your coaches coach you! Open yourself to learn everything you can from whatever they may have to offer and get on board with the plan. Some days, you may be the go-to person, some days you may not. But every day you get to contribute to your team in big and small ways, all of which can be impactful and fulfilling. So know when to exercise your own leadership skills, use your voice, and own your choices and responsibilities. And know when to empower, support, and work with your coaches well, while not giving any mental energy to the thoughts, opinions, and decisions that belong to them. Remember, “what other people think of me is none of my business” (Wayne Dyer). After all, isn’t it more than enough to address your own thoughts, emotions, and behaviours without adding that of the coaches too? Be coachable by embracing your awesome role as player. Just like an orchestra needs a conductor, take your cues from your coach and contribute to the collective rhythm of the game. Be the player!
Be the player, no one else can play like you!
Just like no two instruments make the exact same sound, so too, no two athletes contribute in the exact same ways. Sometimes your team will need exactly what you have to offer, sometimes they’ll need something else. You don’t use all the herbs and spices in your kitchen all at once do you? Yet they are all vital and each have their place and time (or should I say thyme ha!). Though your play time and opportunities may fluctuate, your unique flavour, value, importance, and significance won’t. No one brings the exact same combination of technical, tactical, physical, psychological, and social strengths and qualities that you bring. While you can be open to learning, growing, and look to others for knowledge, information, inspiration, and motivation, learn to also look within yourself to honour the gifts that are within you. Devote yourself to your craft and the mastery of yourself. Our sport or domain of excellence is like a chisel. Let it do it’s work on you so the best of you gets to shine through. In a next (wo)man up environment, never forget the deep and inherent value of each person, including yourself. Be you! Be the player that no one but you can be! Be the player! Be YOU!
Embrace the simplicity that exists in training camp. Focus on what’s important now, while remaining as balanced in perspective and in relationships as possible. Aim for growth and development without fear of mistakes. If you’re truly challenging and pushing the edge of your abilities daily, mistakes are a natural part of the growing process of excellence. Training camps may seem like tryouts for teams, but they’re really development camp in the ecosystem of a season of excellence; meaning if you focus on growth and development, selection takes care of itself sooner or later. If you’re going to hyper focus on anything, let it be your daily micro growth and excellence. Everyday, take mental inventory of your strengths, and build on them. And finally, be as disciplined about your rest as you are about your work. Know when to mentally clock out. Rest, relax, and recover well so you can get up, excited and ready to go do it again tomorrow.
You got this!
Now breathe, smile, and remember to enjoy it! Because one day, believe it or not, you’ll miss this. So soak it in, live in this moment.
Wishing you all a great training camp!